Amanda Peet, the actor married to ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunner David Benioff, in a recent interview revealed the death of one of her favourite characters on the show was enough for her to consider divorcing her husband.

Amanda Peet is considering divorcing her husband, Game Of Thrones showrunner David Benioff, because he did not forewarn her of the death of one of her favourite characters on the show (spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen season 5).

Amanda Peet at the 87th Academy Awards Vanity Fair party in Los Angeles, February 2015.

An especially strong script gives actors plenty to chew on in this comedy-drama, in which writer-directors Faxon and Rash (The Descendants) take an observant look at the awkward connections we make with each other. Using sparky humour and emotion, the filmmakers and cast create vivid characters we can't help but identify with, even when they do all the wrong things.

At the centre, Duncan (James) is a 14-year-old who dreads spending the summer at a beach house owned by Trent (Carrel), the cruelly critical new boyfriend of his mother Pam (Collette). When they arrive, they meet gossipy neighbour Betty (Janney), who has a whole season of neighbourhood parties planned. And her daughter Susanna (Robb) looks just about as miserable as Duncan does. As he tries to escape, Duncan finds a local water park run by colourful misfit Owen (Rockwell), who takes Duncan under his wing and offers him a summer job. And being on his own gives him the badly needed self-confidence to talk to his mother honestly, take on Trent and maybe even ask Susanna out on a date.

Even though this is essentially a standard coming-of-age movie, the script never falls into the usual cliches. For example, when Duncan's first kiss comes along, it plays out in an unexpected, realistic way. This is a generous, honest comedy packed with terrific characters and resonant situations. Supported by the all-star cast, James delivers an impressive performance as a sullen teen struggling to face the world around him , growing up while remaining awkward and likeable. Meanwhile, Stockwell keeps us laughing with a lively party-boy turn that's underscored with sympathy. Collette beautifully layers the repressive, conflicted Pam. Carell goes nicely against type as the cruelly passive-aggressive Trent. And Janney steals the show with the most hilarious lines.

Duncan is a 14-year-old boy struggling to fit in anywhere and dealing with all the problems that most teenagers are forced to deal with at some stage. His mother Pam has a new boyfriend, Trent, who happens to be a jerk with a keen interest in humiliating Duncan at every opportunity. As the summer nears, the family embark on a vacation at Trent's beach house where he meets their new neighbour's daughter Susanna who, far from seeing him as a socially awkward and embarrassing individual, warms to Duncan immediately. He also meets the unprofessional and extroverted manager of the Water Wizz water park, Owen, who offers him a job and some excitement on his otherwise uninteresting vacation and subsequently helps him grow in confidence and self-belief.

Gleefully over-the-top, this film takes the disaster movie pretty much as far as it can go, drawing on the Mayan prophecy that he world will end on 21 December 2012. Emmerich deploys all the genre elements (solid cast, detailed back-stories, gigantic set pieces) to give us a raucously enjoyable ride.